1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for administering a gas to a person or an animal, provided with a chamber for receiving a quantity of gas to be administered, which chamber is provided with a gas line for supplying gas from a source to the chamber and means for pressurising the gas in the chamber, the chamber connecting to a breathing tube for supplying pressurised gas from the chamber to the person or the animal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ventilators of the type specified in the preamble are known in the prior art. Such ventilators are used for ventilating patients. A certain quantity of gas is received in a chamber, after which the gas is brought under elevated pressure. As a result of raising the pressure, a flow channel is opened from the chamber to the breathing tube which is connected to the apparatus. The gas is administered to the patient via this breathing tube. The gas pressure in the chamber and, consequently, in the breathing tube is then lowered. The patient is given the opportunity to breathe out. The gas flow of the exhaled gas is now fed via the breathing tube to a discharge channel to discharge the gas from the apparatus.
For numerous applications it is desirable that the gas supplied to the patient remains in the patient's respiratory tract for a prolonged period. Moreover, it is desirable if this gas is kept under a certain minimum pressure in the patient's lungs. It is not possible with the aid of the apparatus according to the prior art to choose a threshold value which must be exceeded in the patient's lungs before the patient is able to exhale the inhaled air via the breathing apparatus.